DRAMATIS PERSONA The DUKE OF VENICE. The PRINCE OF MOROCCO, The PRINCE OF ARRAGON, }; suitors to Portia. ANTONIO, a merchant of Venice. BASSANIO, his friend, suitor likewise to Portia. SALANIO, SALARINO, GRATIANO, SALERIO, } friends to Antonio and Bassanio. LORENZO, in love with Jessica. SHYLOCK, a rich Jew. TUBAL, a Jew, his friend. LAUNCELOT GOBBO, the clown, servant to Shylock. OLD GOBBO, father to Launcelot. LEONARDO, servant to Bassanio. Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice, Gaoler, Servants to Portia, and other Attendants. SCENE : Partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, the seat of Portia, on the Continent. DURATION OF TIME. According to Mr. Daniel, eight days represented on the stage, with intervals. Total time, a period of rather more than three months. 3. II. 8., 9. Interval: bringing the time to within a fortnight of the maturity of the bond. But the march of time at Belmont during the interval between the signing of the bond and the trial is irreconcilable, on principles of matter-of-fact calculation, with the three months of its date. Instead of trying to show, with Mr. Daniel, that Bassanio really spends three months there (in spite of iii. 2. 1 f.), it is better to say that the three brilliant and engrossing scenes in the casketchamber at Belmont produce an illusion of a much longer interval than they reckon out at. No audience dreams that anything is wrong. Dramatis Persona. Salanio, Salarino, Salerio. There is great confusion among these names in the old texts. The earlier commentators supposed that only two persons were intended: Steevens first added the name Salerio to the dramatis personæ. As Salerio nowhere appears with Salanio or Salarino, and once (iii. 2.) where we might expect one of these, it is very likely that only one person is meant. Shylock. The name was probably current among the Jews in Shakespeare's time, and may have been suggested to him by Levant, of which Shillock may Stephano. This name is here accented on the a, in The Tempest on the e. Shakespeare had probably learned the true accentuation in the interim. INTRODUCTION Two Quarto editions of The Merchant of Venice were issued in 1600. The first (Q1) was printed by James Roberts and issued in his own name. He had designed to publish it two years before, and entered it accordingly in the Stationers' Register (22nd July 1598) as 'A booke of the Merchaunt of Venyse, otherwise called the Jewe of Venise.' The entry is followed, however, by a proviso 'that it be not printed by the said James Roberts or any other whatsoever without leave first had from the ryght honourable the Lord Chamberlan.' In 1600 this leave was apparently obtained, and Roberts issued his Quarto with the following titlepage : The | excellent | History of the Mer | chant of Venice. With the extreme cruelty of Shylocke | the Iew towards the saide Merchant, in cut-ting a iust pound of his flesh. And the obtaining | of Portia, by the choyse of | three Caskets |. Written by W. Shakespeare. Printed by J. Roberts, 1600. On 28th October, however, in the same year, another edition of the play was entered on the Register by Thomas Heyes, 'by consent of Master Robertes.' The title-page of this Quarto (Q2) is as follows : The most excellent | Historie of the Merchant | of Venice | with the extreame crueltie of Shylocke the |